Rock News

Megadeth drops Newsted as Australian opener

There's apparently a rift between Megadeth and Newsted, so they won't be performing together in Australia later this month.

The bands are among the dozens of acts on board for the upcoming Soundwave Festival tour. In addition to the five festival dates, the event includes "sidewave" shows -- more traditional concerts at each stop featuring no more than three acts.

Sidewave shows in Sydney in Melbourne were originally slated to feature Megadeth with Newsted and Volbeat as openers. But a post on the event's website says Newsted has been bumped from the lineup "at the request of Megadeth." Whitechapel has been tapped as Newsted's replacement.

The promoter sheds a little more light on the situation via Twitter. When asked if Newsted's Jason Newsted and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine had an argument, promoter A.J. Maddah's response reads, "Something has certainly gone down although we have no details."

Maddah adds in another tweet that it could be "a problem between managers or agents," not a conflict directly involving the two rockers. And Newsted is still listed on the rundown of performers for the festival, which will begin in Brisbane on February 22nd.